in extremely strange bird is the 60-65 cm long Hoatzin from the northern South America. The name Hoatzin is Indian origin, in the German, these hen-birds are called also mop of hair-chickens or gypsy-chickens. Some agreements in the physique suggest the relationship to hen-birds, however there are many anatomical peculiarities, on the basis of those some zoologist the Hoatzin into an independent order puts.
Characteristics From all other birds, the mop of hair-chickens differ in its specialization on leaves (mainly Aronstabgewächse, Araceae) as exclusive food as well as through its very original claws at the 1. and 2. Fingers (!) in the youth-stage.
The main-work of the digestion achieves its muscular crop (a formation of the esophagus) with the Hoatzin; it is equipped bigger than the actual stomach and interior about a multiple with horn-strips, which pulverize the big, pulled off Blätterstücke to a fine mash. The big crop is outside the chest between breastbone and skin. The "keel" of the breastbone, the base-surface for the flight-musculature, is strongly receded. Hoatzins can therefore fly only heavily across short distances.
Way of life Mop of hair-chickens always position its nests few meters above a water-surface; the squabs therefore can simply drop themselves directly with danger from the nest or from the surrounding branches (where they like to around-climb with help of its claw-fortified wings) into the water. While adult Hoatzins avoid the water, the nestlings can swim quite well and can dive. As soon as the danger is past, hangeln itself the squabs at overhanging branches again to the nest upwards.
So movable and claw-fortified fingers are singularly under the today existing bird-types; only from the fossil "Urvogel" Archaeopteryx, one knows this Flügeltyp. Therefore classifying Hoatzins as "primitive" birds, however, is abortive surely since they show some extensive specializations by the way. With adult mop of hair-chickens, the claws are receded.
Hoatzins live sociably in low trees and hedges of the shore-vegetation of rivers as well as in floodplains where they wander under hoarse reputations in smaller troops.
Reproduction Also during the reproductive-period, the birds stay together and brood colony-wisely. The nests are put together quite loosely from thin branches; the nest consists of 2-5 eggs, that are incubated by both alto-birds approximately for 4 weeks. Already shortly after it slips properly is kletterfreudig the nestlings and swimming-proficient. they are fed by the parents approximately for 2-3 weeks from the crop. After going out roves young - and alto-birds together then around. When resting and sleeping, Hoatzins with the "stomach" lie down on (rear breastbone-region) a branch.
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